BUFFALO – American Arab/Muslim channel Bridges TV will soon launch in Canada.
The company announced this week that Rogers Cable will begin carrying it this spring and has also recently transitioned from a premium pay channel in the U.S. to basic cable on several cable and satellite systems there.
The year-old Buffalo, N.Y.-based cable channel was added to the list of eligible satellite services by the Commission in December.
The changes to its carriage and its launch in Canada "comes at a time when Middle Eastern and South Asian communities around the world are in the spotlight," says the company. "Most recently,…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Thanks to complaints that some channels up for addition to the eligible satellite list in Canada offer nothing but Communist propaganda, the CRTC has re-opened a public proceeding to gather additional evidence.
Rogers Cable has faced complaints and some small protests after sponsoring the addition of nine new Chinese channels to the eligible satellite list for digital distribution in Canada.
The now-defunct Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association had made the original application (Rogers Cable took over sponsorship after the organization closed) and described the channels as general interest fare. "Based on supporting information provided by the CCTA, the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – New Canadians are avid users of mobile phones and alternative long distance calling options — and spend more on wireless and home phone combined, according to a new study by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based market research firm.
Among the key findings of the wireless and telecom module of the Diversity in Canada study are:
• Major ethnic groups in Canada are somewhat more likely to have cellular phones (61% have one, vs. 59% average among 15+ population in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver). Highest penetration is among Chinese Canadians (74%).
• Rogers is the leading wireless company…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Maybe a series of minority governments in power only for about 18 months or so is something broadcasters might wish for.
Federal election advertising spending in the second quarter show total national ad spending on radio grew by over 10% during this period (December 2005 to February 2006).
The data was released Wednesday by Canadian Broadcast Sales (CBS), a national sales firm representing approximately 60% of all Canadian radio stations, owned by Rogers Media and Corus Entertainment.
In the second quarter, the top five categories by growth on CBS-represented stations were: Printing/publishing 409%; governments/federal/provincial 229%; beer/wine/coolers 149%; medicines…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CanoeLive will be different, that’s for sure.
If the three minutes of the news program that Quebecor CEO Pierre Peladeau revealed to ad agency types and media buyers at Tuesday’s Canadian Media Directors’ Council annual conference is what comes to air, SUN TV’s CanoeLive will be a dizzying hour for TV viewers.
The clip featured a young 20-something female visible minority anchor fronting the show with an urban music track humming in the background non-stop (at about the same sound level of TSN’s background noise of local play-by-play), lightning quick cuts from one screen to the next,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Televising a combination of native HD programming and content converted with active pan-and-scan technology, the Score HD will broadcast in 720p widescreen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the sports channel announced today.
It’s the first Canadian HD sports channel with a constant widescreen image. News of the move was first reported here in December.
The Score HD is now available to Rogers Digital Cable HDTV customers on channel 507. Negotiations with other carriers are ongoing.
"This is the first phase of our long-term HD vision," said David Errington, senior vice-president and general manager. "The…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Televising a combination of native HD programming and content converted with active pan-and-scan technology, the Score HD will broadcast in 720p widescreen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the sports channel announced today.
It’s the first Canadian HD sports channel with a constant widescreen image. News of the move was first reported here in December.
The Score HD is now available to Rogers Digital Cable HDTV customers on channel 507. Negotiations with other carriers are ongoing.
"This is the first phase of our long-term HD vision," said David Errington, senior vice-president and general manager. "The…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Cybersurf, an independent Canadian ISP, announced Monday it would offer free high speed Internet access to customers choosing its voice product.
The company is near completion of its national VOIP and cable high speed service and will use the Shaw, Rogers and Videotron backbones to provide its service.
To BR: branded CIA Local Phone in the Toronto market, Cybersurf’s service is offered as a competitive alternative to Bell and Rogers’ local phone service, and includes E911, 411, free unlimited local calling in the 416 area code, free call features and low domestic and international long distance rates….
Continue Reading
By Greg O’Brien
I REMEMBER WHEN THEN-CRTC broadcasting vice-chair Andrée Wylie told the 1999 CCTA convention in Vancouver that the Commission had no intention of trying to regulate the Internet.
Because of it’s very nature, it’s impossible to regulate the Internet itself (unless you’re China or some other repressive government that deploys some painful cyber-clamps and doesn’t mind tossing people in jail for reading the New York Times or somesuch online), which the CRTC recognized early on. Plus, 1999 was pre tech-bubble and the opportunities of the ‘net seemed endless. Why toss up regulations in front of such potential?
That Commission…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – In a submission which generally backs a cable company’s request to use the local avail ad time to market its telephony and high speed Internet products along with programming services, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters has also asked the CRTC for more cost clarity.
An intervention filed with the Commission last week mostly supports an application made by Halifax-based MSO EastLink to expand what the broadcast distribution regulations say can be promoted during the so-called "local availability" time on American cable channels. Those channels (like CNN, A&E and The Golf Channel) make two minutes per hour of…
Continue Reading
